Where the Sad Things Are...

Legendary children's author and sponsor of your childhood died Tuesday

Maurice Sendak, gatekeeper to the magic of young minds and noted loveable curmudgeon, has died, HLN confirms.

If you were a child or knew a child within the last 50 years or so, you probably knew Sendak's work. His most famous book, "Where the Wild Things Are," revolutionized children's literature and was banned on more than one occasion for portraying the world of a child as grotesque, a little scary, and totally fun. Other works included "In the Night Kitchen," "Outside Over There," "Higglety Pigglety Pop!" and many more.

Sendak's talent far exceeded his writing and creative ideas; he also illustrated all of his own books. Undoubtedly, they are images that have influenced young imaginations for generations, and probably still hang on the walls of school libraries the world over.

Sendak was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1964 for his illustration work in "Where the Wild Things Are," the Hans Christian Andersen Award for illustration in 1970, and several other awards in the following decades. Despite wide recognition for his talent some of his books were censored and others were criticized for their departure from traditionally "cute" and safe depictions of childhood life.

Outside of his personal work, Sendak also illustrated dozens of other books, including Else Holmelund Minarik's "Little Bear" series, and made great accomplishments in set design, script writing, and animation.

"I don't write for children. I write. And somebody says 'That's for children.' I didn't set out to make children happy. or make life better for them," he said.

Perhaps the best tale from Sendak's complex and storied relationship with his readers is the widely quoted gem that follows:

“Once a little boy sent me a charming card with a little drawing on it. I loved it. I answer all my children’s letters — sometimes very hastily — but this one I lingered over. I sent him a card and I drew a picture of a Wild Thing on it. I wrote, 'Dear Jim: I loved your card.' Then I got a letter back from his mother and she said, 'Jim loved your card so much he ate it.' That to me was one of the highest compliments I’ve ever received. He didn’t care that it was an original Maurice Sendak drawing or anything. He saw it, he loved it, he ate it.”

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